As the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) approaches its 99th anniversary on August 1, 2026, its transformation over nearly a century underscores the past, present, and future of China’s military strategy.

In April 1932, an 18-year-old Xi Zhongxun led the newly formed Fifth Detachment of the Red Army’s Shaanxi-Gansu Guerrilla Force in the mountainous Yongshou county of Shaanxi province. This 200-strong unit was reorganized from a mutinous battalion of the local warlord’s Northwest Army and aimed to link up with another Red Army force nearby. According to accounts by Xi and others, the soldiers lacked training and were armed with a motley collection of mostly outdated bolt-action rifles and a few machine guns, with no artillery support. They also suffered from chronic shortages of clothing, footwear, food, and ammunition. Despite the Communist Party’s political efforts to boost discipline and morale, logistical and equipment challenges persisted and worsened over time. Ultimately, the exhausted troops, depleted of food and munitions, were overwhelmed by local bandits and forced to disperse.

More than 80 years later, Xi Zhongxun’s son, Xi Jinping, assumed command of the PLA and pledged to develop it into a “world-class military” by the middle of this century. This commitment reflects the PLA’s significant evolution from its ragtag origins to a modern, high-tech force.

This article is the first part of a series examining the PLA’s strategic development from guerrilla warfare to advanced military capabilities.

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